The Final Chapter
by libraluvr
Summary: After eight long months apart, Percy and Annabeth are finally reunited.


"Let's go meet my _other_ family," Percy said.

He led Frank and Hazel out of the Senate House. They stood at the top of the steps; what they saw left them breathless.

The war ship was huge and beautiful. There were no words to describe it.

The hull was open and members of Camp Half-Blood were streaming out, clothed in their orange t-shirts. Each of them had weapons.

Octavian was screaming that they should attack before they were attacked. Reyna was calmly telling him that he better shut up or **she**would attack him. She stated that they could trust Percy.

Members of Camp Jupiter were getting restless as more and more members of Camp Half-Blood exited the ship. Members of Camp Half-Blood were getting nervous with all the weapons pointed at them.

All of these things, however, registered only vaguely in Percy's mind.

Because he'd seen her.

Her blonde hair in waves around her face. Her grey eyes searching the crowd. Until they found his.

Percy had never understood the phrase 'frozen in fear.' In his opinion if you were really afraid of something you did your best to get it out of the way or get out of **its** way.

But now he understood.

Because every single part of him was screaming for him to go to her, but he couldn't move. Not a muscle. Not even a twitch.

And it wasn't because of the shock of seeing the girl from his memories in the flesh.

It was fear. Fear that if he moved he would wake up to find it was a dream. Fear that if he moved this time and place would disappear. Fear that if he moved **she** would disappear.

Annabeth was in the same boat.

She'd spent so long searching for him. **Eight. Months.**

And now he was in front of her. Standing on the top steps of an important-looking and impressively designed building. His brown hair curly as ever. His green eyes shining. Somehow managing to look good in jeans, sneakers, and a purple t-shirt.

She hoped that this wasn't her imagination at work, but she'd had some very strange, very vivid dreams about finding Percy before.

And so, she was scared.

Neither heard the people who were calling their names, asking if they were okay.

Percy's lips formed the name, **Annabeth.**

Just as hers formed the name, **Percy.**

Still. Neither moved.

But Annabeth had always been more logical. She knew that if she didn't try to get to him, she would never now. And in the next moment she was moving towards him.

Seeing Annabeth coming towards him somehow released Percy from his paralyzing fear, and within seconds he was well on his way to her.

As if it were planned, campers moved out of their way, creating a path for the lovers.

They met in the middle.

Percy stopped and braced himself just a moment before Annabeth threw herself at him.

And at that second, they knew it was real.

Percy knew that no one else could smell so perfectly of books and vanilla and **Annabeth.** He knew no one else could fit so perfectly against him. No one else could make him feel so protective and needed.

Annabeth knew no one else could smell so perfectly of wind and sea and **Percy**. She knew no one else could make her feel so safe and protected. No one else could make her feel not only intelligent, but truly beautiful the way he could.

"_I've missed you,"_ Percy murmured.

He spoke in Greek, and Annabeth was happy, so happy, that he hadn't forgotten everything after being in this camp.

"_You remember me?"_ she asked in return.

"_I never forgot,"_ he replied.

Annabeth pulled away slightly; just enough to see his face.

"_Never?"_ she whispered.

"_Never. In fact, when I woke up, you were my only memory. Just your face and the way you called me Seaweed Brain. But it was enough to keep me going."_

Annabeth couldn't hold back any longer. She pressed her lips to his; Percy was quick to respond.

Annabeth would have liked to think Percy would have remembered her no matter what, but she knew Hera could have wiped his memory as completely as she wiped Jason's.

She thought, 'This is probably the only time you'll ever hear it, but thank you.'

And then she was lost in the kiss of her beloved.

There were mixed emotions from those who were watching. Most people were very happy for the couple. Those who had been friends with Annabeth and Percy before he disappeared knew how close they were and how happy they would be to be together again.

Jason and Hazel were especially happy because Annabeth and Percy had confided in them, respectively, about how much they missed their significant other.

Reyna realized that when Percy said he had a girlfriend, he **meant** that he had a girlfriend. This was a union blessed by Aphrodite herself, and Reyna resolved in that instant not to meddle.

There were a select few who were jealous, not only of the love the two shared, but of Annabeth or Percy themselves.

Octavian was burning with the emotion.

As he watched Percy and Annabeth's loving embrace progress into a passionate make-out session, his dislike of Percy deepened into hatred.

This boy had waltzed into camp with a goddess to speak for him. He completed a quest with practically no help whatsoever from the camp. He'd brought back the eagle! He'd defeated a giant with nothing but his sword and a stone-bound god! He'd taken Octavian's rightful place as praetor! And now, now, he was kissing a downright gorgeous girl who was obviously a leader to her group and was obviously besotted with him in front of both camps with absolutely no shame! HE'D TAKEN OCTAVIAN'S RIGHTFUL PLACE AS PRAETOR, DAMMIT!

Octavian resolved to humiliate Percy as much as possible in the future. Starting now.

"I think that's quite enough!" he said loudly.

Neither Percy nor Annabeth gave any indication that they had even heard him.

Octavian's eyes narrowed and he started towards the couple, intent on physically forcing them apart.

By this time Percy had set Annabeth on her feet, though she was standing on her tiptoes so he wouldn't have to bend down as far.

Many saw Octavian's intentions. They all decided not to warn him.

Just as Octavian was upon the oblivious couple, Jason spoke up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said. He'd never met Percy, but if the boy was as protective as Annabeth had once described him to be, he would not take kindly to what the other boy was about to do. Jason didn't remember the boy before him, but his gut told him that he knew the boy, and he did not deserve to be warned.

Octavian looked to see that it was the other thorn in his side, Jason, who had spoken. He was standing in between a boy with crazy eyes and a girl who was very obviously a daughter of Aphrodite.

"You obviously don't remember who I am," Octavian sneered.

Jason's eyebrows rose, but he said nothing in reply, trusting his gut instinct that the guy is deserver whatever he got.

"He doesn't remember any of us," Reyna said.

Jason looked at her to see her studying the scant inch of space between him and Piper with a faint look of disappointment on her face.

Piper's cheeks flushed a pretty pink and she made to move away from Jason. However, he shackled her wrist with his fingers and refused to let go until he was sure she would stay where she was.

Piper's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of pink, but she remained, giving Jason a sweet smile he couldn't help but return. Leo, who was watching them, rolled his eyes.

They turned their attention back to the center of the crowd just in time to see Octavian push Annabeth away from Percy.

Caught by surprise and off-balance Annabeth would have fallen over had it not been for Percy's are around her waist.

Though he really should have, Octavian did not expect Percy's reaction.

Percy realizing that not just anybody, but somebody he extremely disliked and distrusted, had pushed his girlfriend, whom he had not seen for eight months, away from him did what any infuriated demigod without a weapon would have done.

Without releasing Annabeth, he kicked Octavian in the stomach. When the boy bent forward, Percy delivered a side-kick to Octavian's face. The boy toppled over.

Percy purposely held back. He wanted Octavian to hear what he had to say.

"If you ever touch her again, I will kill you."

It was not a threat. It was not a promise.

It was a statement of fact.

Annabeth looked at the boy groaning on the ground.

"_Protective as ever, I see,"_ she said quietly in Greek.

Percy chuckled. _"That will change when you start making it easy for me,"_ he replied, referencing his abysmal attempt at telling her his feelings for her.

Annabeth rewarded him with a small laugh.

'_**It does not matter,'**_ Gaia's voice whispered in Percy's mind. _**'You may have your love, but that just means that she will suffer with you.'**_

'_**It does matter. With Annabeth by my side, I can d anything. And I will **_**not**_** let her suffer,'**_ Percy thought back.

Gaia did not reply, but Percy detected a faint irritation at his response.

"Percy?" Annabeth whispered. Percy's eyes focused on her concerned face. He grinned and shook his head. "Spacing out on me already, Seaweed Brain?" she asked amused.

"Something like that," he replied. She nodded, knowing he would tell her later.

Percy turned to Reyna and Annabeth followed. They realized that everyone had been staring at them, but they were to happy at finally being together to really care much.

Percy wrapped his left arm around Annabeth's shoulders. She reached up and linked the fingers of her left hand with his, simultaneously wrapping her right arm around his waist.

Individually both Percy and Annabeth radiated a quiet power. It was very hard to miss.

Together, though, their power was even more noticeable. The barely-there tension they'd both acquired from being too far apart had disappeared

Annabeth and Percy were together. They were ready to face anything.

High in the heavens above New York City, Hera smiled. **'And the pieces start falling into place,'** she thought smugly

**A/N: Okay, so this is my third story on this site. It's my first Percy Jackson one. I finished The Son of Neptune yesterday and I just had to write this. The ending made me so mad. It felt like it wasn't finished at all. Which, I guess, is the point since now I'm itching to get my hand on the next book. I don't know what the warship looks like, which is why I didn't put a description for it. I know Percy wasn't wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but I didn't want the reunion to be with him in a toga. I felt like I could have stopped at the 'They knew it was real part,' but I decided to keep going. Mostly because I wanted the make-out scene and for Octavian to get beat down. I had to do add a little input from Gaia. I just feel like she would have done her best do ruin the moment. I added a little Jason/Piper but I made it vague because even though I love them together I'm not sure if they are together or if they're doing that friends-who-totally-wanna-be-girlfriend-and-boyfriend thing. **

**To my Danny Phantom fans: I haven't forgotten about you. School's just been so crazy I haven't really had time to write. Plus I tend to write for the fandom that I'm reading and I haven't been reading too much DP. However, I am slowly but surely working on a multi-chap fic for you guys.**

**I'm thinking of doing a song-fic for Percy and Annabeth. If you guys want me to then review and tell me so. Also tell me whether or not you liked the story and why or why not.**

**I think that's it. Sorry this note turned into an essay. Review please.**


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